"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #126

This "WIR"-Wednesday I'm beating the Throne of Glass withdrawal by reading Sarah J. Maas's newest release...

Catwoman: Soulstealer (DC Icons, #3) by Sarah J. Maas

Blurb:

When the Bat's away, the Cat will play. It's time to see how many lives this cat really has. . . .

Two years after escaping Gotham City's slums, Selina Kyle returns as the mysterious and wealthy Holly Vanderhees. She quickly discovers that with Batman off on a vital mission, Batwing is left to hold back the tide of notorious criminals. Gotham City is ripe for the taking.

Meanwhile, Luke Fox wants to prove he has what it takes to help people in his role as Batwing. He targets a new thief on the prowl who seems cleverer than most. She has teamed up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and together they are wreaking havoc. This Catwoman may be Batwing's undoing.

Why I Didn't Preorder This Book | What I Think So Far:

I confess, I did not preorder Catwoman: Soulstealer. No, not even the pop socket could sway me (even though I was so, so tempted). Why not you ask? Well most of you know that Sarah J. Maas is one of my main auto-buy authors, but I must confess: I'm not into comics. I mean I like Jessica Jones and X-Men, but that's about it. That being said, I wanted to read the book before I put out the dough so I put it on hold through my local library and viola! I got it within two days of release. 

Top Ten Tuesday: My 10 Favorite Book Blogs and Websites

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Bookish Blogs & Websites

This week's TTT is all about my favorite book blogs and bookish websites! I'm not always great at commenting on book blogs, but these are a few that I love. Do you ever find a blogger that's reviews always seem to line up with your unspoken thoughts? That if that reviewer says a book that you usually find that they were right? These are a few of my people. 

1. NovelKnight Book Reviews

Run by: Austine Decker | Link: NovelKnight

2. Aimee, Always

Run by: Aimee | Link: Aimee, Always

3. Mundie Moms

Run by: Katie, Sophie, Shandra, and Emmaly | Link: Mundie Moms

4. Good Choice Reading

Run by: Damaris, Maria, Wanda, Amanda, Casey, and Shelly | Link: Good Choice Reading

*my source for Virtual Signings!*

5. Tyffany Hackett's Author Website

Run by: Tyffany Hackett | Link: Tyffany Hackett, Author

*A great resource for writers and a wonderful friend/person!*

6. A Bella Fairy Tale 

Run by: Jennifer Lucca and her adorable pup, Bella | Link: A Bella Fairy Tale

7. Paper Fury

Run by: C.G. Drews | Link: Paper Fury

*My resource for info when I first started bookstagramming and wanted to improve*

8. Literary-ly Obsessed

Run by: Cody-Leigh Duffy | Link: Literary-ly Obsessed

*one of the first book bloggers I followed and probably the main blogger who got me excited about blogging from reading her posts. Also the blogger from whom I discovered Top Ten Tuesdays*

9. Blunt Book Blog

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Run by: Auburn | Link: Blunt Book Blog

*I actually discovered this blogger when she won a ARC of CurseBreaker from last fall's YASH and mainly follow her on twitter because I find her posts amusing.*

10. Basically Britt (Booktuber)

Run by: Britt | Link: Basically Britt

*I have no idea how I stumbled upon Basically Britt, probably searching for book tags, but I love, love, love her booktube videos!*

Who are some of your favorite book bloggers or bookish websites? Did any of your faves make my list?

Let me know in the comments or drop me a link to your TTT!

Happy Reading Bookdragons!

Book Review: The Lantern's Ember by Colleen Houck

The Lantern's Ember by Colleen Houck

Blurb:

Welcome to a world where nightmarish creatures reign supreme.

Five hundred years ago, Jack made a deal with the devil. It’s difficult for him to remember much about his mortal days. So, he focuses on fulfilling his sentence as a Lantern—one of the watchmen who guard the portals to the Otherworld, a realm crawling with every nightmarish creature imaginable. Jack has spent centuries jumping from town to town, ensuring that nary a mortal—or not-so-mortal—soul slips past him. That is, until he meets beautiful Ember O’Dare.

Seventeen, stubborn, and a natural-born witch, Ember feels a strong pull to the Otherworld. Undeterred by Jack’s warnings, she crosses into the forbidden plane with the help of a mysterious and debonair vampire—and the chase through a dazzling, dangerous world is on. Jack must do everything in his power to get Ember back where she belongs before both the earthly and unearthly worlds descend into chaos.

My Review:

To start off, I was really excited about this book when I first heard about it. The author described it as a retelling of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow (which I love!) but to be honest... I've read better reimaginings of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. This book just kind of fell flat for me.

It has a gorgeous cover, don't get me wrong, but the story inside is just kind of ... meh. I didn't care for our naive heroine, the fact that all of the male characters were in love with her, the steampunk themes, and I guess I was expecting something a little spookier.

Overall, this book was not for me. Maybe it would appeal to somebody younger, I don't know. I really wanted to love this one but I just couldn't. I'm left feeling disappointed.

My Rating:

🌟

1 of 5 Stars!

Book Tag Saturday: The #OzBookTag

The #OzBookTag

Tagged by @dogearsandcatnaps

1. Dorothy (Favorite Female Protagonist):

Audrey Rose Wadsworth

2. Wicked Witch of the West (Villain You Like): 

The Darkling

3. Glinda (Favorite Unexpected Adversary):

Thorn (RoseBlood) - sort of?

4. Wicked Witch of the East (Character Who Died Too Early): 

Nehemia or Matthias 

5. Scarecrow (Smartest Character): Hermione 

6. Tin Woodsman (Most Loveable Character): 

Vixie Lochson (The Eurona Duology)

7. Lion (Best Character Development Arc): 

Aelin

8. Toto (Favorite Pet): 

Abraxos or Fleetfoot

9. Wizard (Favorite Character With Magic):

 Legend

10. Nome King (Villain You Hate):  

Maeve

{Guest Post & Author Spotlight} Sabrina Ramoth

For my last post of my 3-Year Blogiversary Celebration I'm spotlighting YA Author, SABRINA RAMOTH! So let's dive right in...

Hi all! My name is Sabrina Ramoth, and I am the author of the Bruel Witch Series, which I will be telling you about in just a few minutes, but first I wanted to say thank you Taylor for having me over on her blog.

The Bruel Witch Series is a three (maybe 4) book series that follows the story of Vivienne Davenport as she discovers that she's a witch and is at the very center of a curse that has plagued her family for generations.

In the first book, The Curse of the Bruel Coven, Vivienne discovers that not only is she adopted but she is also a witch and she must learn to control her powers to save her birth mom from a Coven of Witches that wants to see the Curse on Vivi's family come to pass. 

There is really so much more to the story than that but I don't want to give anything away. So I will tell you how I got the idea for this series. As I mention in my answers below, my best friend convinced me to read this book called Twilight, and it ruined my life in all the best ways LOL

See, after reading Twilight, I couldn't get enough of paranormal YA and started binge reading anything else I could find. Then one day while driving my oldest daughter to a birthday party, I got this totally random idea about a man and a woman who were in love but separated by a curse. I remember sitting at a traffic light as I jotted the idea down on a piece of scrap paper I had found on the floor of my car. I didn't immediately start writing it either because up until that day, I had never written a book before so I wasn't even sure it was something I could do but the story kept nagging at me until I eventually got to the point I had to write it. The story has evolved much from the simple idea I jot down on the scrap paper that day, but the core of it is still there in Lizette and Oliver's Story.

Q&A with Sabrina...

1. Who is your favorite character in this book?

My favorite character in this book. Wow that's hard. So hard. That's like picking a favorite among my own kids. And now I sound crazy... LOL But if I HAD to pick just one.... ehhhhh I guess I might have to say Desmond. I just love his character. He's honorable and easy going and he is so easy to write because for some reason while writing him, he just takes over.

2. Which came first, the title or the novel?

Oh the novel for sure. In fact I had several working titles before officially titling the book.

3. What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?

There is a fight scene I think in chapter 18 or 19 that I am especially proud of. I think that scene stands out to me because it was the hardest for me to write... What can I say, I am not a fighter LOL In the early drafts there was simply a placeholder note that said *FIGHT SCENE GOES HERE* and every time I came back to that scene in the drafting process I just couldn't write it. When it came time to write my final draft I remember giving it one last try and still it just wasn't working. Nothing I came up with felt right so I scrapped the whole fight scene and found some alternate way of working out the climax of the book that did not include a fight between the two covens. I then submitted the book to my editor for final edits and the book was done. Or so I thought. Then one night while I was doing my final pass and approving the edits my editor sent me, something clicked and I rewrote that entire chapter to include the battle scene that is in the final version of the book. And had to send my editor an apology for giving her more work to do before we could send the book off to publication.

4. What upcoming book release are you most looking forward to?

Hmmm. Well I am exciting about the Rite to Reign Box Set that I am part of. It has been an amazing experience collaborating with other authors and I've been learning a lot about marketing. We are also aiming to hit the USA Today's Best Seller list which is super exciting because should we reach our goal, it will be my first time making that list. I am also excited about, The Curse of the Voodoo Bones, which is the sequel to The Curse of the Bruel Coven. I know people have been waiting a long time for that so I am really looking forward to getting that out to my readers as soon as possible. Plus, it's been a lot of fun writing this story, since Vivi is much more settled into the world of magic.

5. What is your most recent favorite read?

Recent reads. Well this is embarrassing but I haven't gotten much time to read recently since I am behind the wire on deadlines, but I have the new CoHo (Colleen Hoover for those that do not know) on my night stand waiting for me to get sucked in.

6. What are you working on now?

Well as I mentioned above I'm working on The Curse of the Voodoo Bones and Rite to Reign. My contribution to Rite to Reign is in the Bruel World and follows a young Delphine as she rises to power. I am also working on an entirely new series, called the Huntress Saga. I am about 40% through my first draft on the first book, City of Smoke. So as you can see I've got a lot going on.

7. What authors, or books, have influenced you?

Well I guess if you could tale a look at my bookshelf that would be the easiest way to answer that question. I've got lots of Kami Garcia, P.C. Cast, L.J. Smith, Lauren Kate, Anne Rice, Charlaine Harris. But if I had to say what books were the most influence, I would have to say Stephenie Meyer Twilight Saga. I had been a while since I had read any paranormal or witchy books and my best friend convinced me finally after months and months of begging to read this book called Twilight. After reading it my love for all things paranormal were reborn and I couldn't get enough, which eventually lead into my idea for The Bruel Witch Series.

8.What is your favorite part of the writing process?

NOLA research trips? LOL No but really... I love researching for a novel. Especially when it means going somewhere and seeing the world inside my head come alive in some way. Plus I am all about the Beignets so any reason to go to New Orleans is my favorite thing!

For a limited time, you can get The Curse of the Bruel Coven for just $0.99 on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Curse-Bruel-Coven-Witch-Book-ebook/dp/B01F3X3J8S

Join Sabrina's mailing list to say up to date on new releases and projects in the works. She also run giveaways from time to time. http://www.sabrinaramoth.com/

Thank you Sabrina for stopping by to help celebrate my 3-year blogiversary! 

Book Mail: Week of August 6

To celebrate my 26th Birthday I've splurged on a few book purchases. Let's see what's been in my mail this week...

Monday:

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

Two Truths and a Lie. The girls played it all the time in their tiny cabin at Camp Nightingale. Vivian, Natalie, Allison, and first-time camper Emma Davis, the youngest of the group. The games ended when Emma sleepily watched the others sneak out of the cabin in the dead of night. The last she--or anyone--saw of them was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips.

Now a rising star in the New York art scene, Emma turns her past into paintings--massive canvases filled with dark leaves and gnarled branches that cover ghostly shapes in white dresses. The paintings catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the socialite and wealthy owner of Camp Nightingale. When Francesca implores her to return to the newly reopened camp as a painting instructor, Emma sees an opportunity to try to find out what really happened to her friends.

Yet it's immediately clear that all is not right at Camp Nightingale. Already haunted by memories from fifteen years ago, Emma discovers a security camera pointed directly at her cabin, mounting mistrust from Francesca and, most disturbing of all, cryptic clues Vivian left behind about the camp's twisted origins. As she digs deeper, Emma finds herself sorting through lies from the past while facing threats from both man and nature in the present.

And the closer she gets to the truth about Camp Nightingale, the more she realizes it may come at a deadly price.

Purchase Location: Target

Price: $18.90 (30% off!)

Tuesday:

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

Purchase Location: HPB.com

Purchase Price: $3.70

Bonus: It was signed! Surprise! 

Wednesday

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

Purchase Location: HPB.com

Purchase Price: $4.39

Bonus: Poster of the Grishaverse 

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

(French Edition)

À Ketterdam, la mafia s'organise en gangs rivaux. L'homme le plus important de la pègre est Pekka Rollins ; le plus ambitieux, le jeune Kaz Bekker, dit "les Mains sales". Aussi brillant qu'exaspérant, Kaz, second du gang des Corbeaux, ne refuse aucun coup pour peu qu'il en tire argent et panache. Sa réputation de voleur lui vaut d'emporter un marché qui le rendra riche : il doit enlever un homme retenu dans un lieu imprenable, la forteresse des Glaces, place forte des redoutables soldats-prêtres druskelles. Le prisonnier à enlever est l'inventeur de la "Jurda parem", une drogue multipliant sans limites le pouvoir des Grishas tout en les rendant soumis et dépendants. Kaz décide donc de réunir une équipe aux talents exceptionnels : - Inej, espionne hors pair alias le Spectre, - Matthias, soldat druskelle dévoré par sa haine des Grishas, - Nina, ancienne guerrière de l'armée grisha, - Wylan, escamoteur débutant, fugueur et otage volontaire, - Jesper, tireur d'élite qui parierait sa vie pour le gout du jeu. Ces coéquipiers malgré eux feront face à un enchaînement effréné d'épreuves : libérer Matthias d'Hellgate, faire face aux gangs rivaux prêts à les doubler, survivre à l'explosion de leur navire et surtout s'infiltrer dans l'imprenable cité des glaces!

Purchase Location: Amazon.com

Purchase Price: $18.70

Waiting On:

Fallen Heir by Erin Watt

Purchase Location: Erin Watt's website

Purchase Price: $15.00

Bonus: It's Signed!

Cracked Kingdom by Erin Watt

Purchase Location: Erin Watt's website

Purchase Price: $15.00

Bonus: It's Signed!

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

Purchase Location: HPB.com

Purchase Price: $0.87

Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas

Library Hold

"What I'm Reading" Wednesday #125

This week for "WIR"-Wednesday I'm reading the last currently published book in the Throne of Glass Series and finishing my reread of the #ReadThroneofGlass Challenge!

Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass, #6) by Sarah J. Maas

Blurb:

In the next installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, follow Chaol on his sweeping journey to a distant empire.

Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the glass castle shattered, since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken.

His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica—the stronghold of the southern continent's mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them.

But what they discover in Antica will change them both—and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined.

Why I Chose This Book | What I Think So Far:

I chose to read this book, obviously because I've reached this point in the #readThroneofGlass challenge and I actually haven't read this one yet. While I liked Chaol in the earlier books I'm not sure how I feel about him after the past couple. He's been a bit judge-y and a lot assholery. I just read the first page last night so I'm only really diving into it today, but we'll see if Tower of Dawn changes my mind about Chaol - again. 

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I'm way ahead!